Superheater tube support



Jan. 29, 1957 c. H. MEGS ETAL 2,779,316

SUPERHEATER TUBE SUPPORT Filed April 10, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fun-1.5. 3 +1 INVENTORS CHARLES H. MEIGS HERBERT TEITELMA 'RTTORNEY Jan. 29, 1957 c. H. MElGS ETAL 2,779,316

SUPEI/RHEATER TUBE SUPPORT Filed April 10, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VENTORS CHARL H. as HERBERT Tgl MAN! SUPERHEATER TUBE SUPPORT Charles H. Meigs, Bremerton, Wash., and Herbert Teitelman, Newton Highlands, Mass., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Application April 10, 1953, Serial No. 348,139

3 Claims. (Cl. 122-510) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States t America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to supports for boiler tubes in steam generators and more especially for supports cooled by the tubes which they support.

The support for boiler tubes in a steam generator are subject to corroding and burning by the flames of the furnace and are thus of limited life, especially where the steam generator is forced excessively such as in warships.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide boiler tube supports which have a long life.

It is another object of the invention to provide boiler tube supports which facilitate replacement of damaged boiler tubes.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a sectional View with parts removed of a water tube boiler embodying the tube supports of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 1 showing the tube supports of this invention;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the tube supports of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a boiler tube and its supporting sleeve;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on line V--V of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 5 but showing a modification of the supporting sleeve.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of the invention and more particularly to Fig. l, the reference numeral 10 designates a steam drum. A diagonal bank of steam generating tubes 12 connects the steam drum 10 with a water drum 14. A row of generally diagonal water wall tubes 16 connects the opposite side of the steam drum 10 with a water wall header 18. Spaced apart and downwardly extending screen steam generating tubes 20 connect the lower part of the steam drum 10 with a central bank header 22. Horizontal banks of superheater tubes 24 are positioned between the screen generating tubes 20 and are supported by them by the supports of this invention. The bank of superheater tubes 24 may comprise individual U shaped superheater tubes such as shown in Fig. 3 of the Patent 2,124,215 to Stillman on Superheater Boiler. One set of fuel burners 25 is located between the steam generating tubes 12 and the screen tubes 20 and another set of fuel burners 27 is located between the screen tubes 20 and the water wall tubes 16.

The tube supports of this invention are best shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and comprise brackets 26 welded to the screen tubes 20. The portions of the superheater tubes 24 located directly above the brackets 26 are provided with tight fitting short metal sleeves 28 welded at 29 in good heat exchange relationship to the tubes 24. The sleeves 28 may comprise closely fitting cylindrical elements such as the sleeve 30 of Fig. 4 or may comprise two half cylinders 32 and 34 welded together at their edges and to the superheater tubes 24 at 33 as shown in Fig. 6. The outer edge 31 of each sleeve 28 is preferably beveled. The sleeves 28 are short with respect to the length of the tubes 24 so that the greater portion of the tubes 24 is directly exposed to the heat of the fuel furnace.

The sleeves 28 of the lowermost layer of the superheater tubes 24 of each bank rest directly on the brackets 26 and the sleeves 28 of each of the other layers rest directly on the sleeves 28 of the layer therebelow. The superheater tubes 24 and their sleeves 28 are preferably arranged in staggered layers so that the surfaces of sleeves 28 are in surface contact at spaced areas.

With this arrangement of the tubes 24, a defective tube when disconnected from its header (not shown) may be withdrawn endwise without materially changing the positions of the tubes immediately surrounding it since the surrounding tube-s form a self supporting arch around the tube being withdrawn. The beveled outer edges 31 of the sleeves 28 facilitate the withdrawal and insertion of a tube 24 by forcing the surrounding tubes 24 which may have departed from their arched formation back into place. Since the sleeves 28 are welded into intimate heat exchange relationship with the superheater tubes 24, they are cooled by the steam passing through the tubes 24 and thus better withstand the corroding and burning effects of the flames of the fuel burners.

The use of the sleeves 28 is not limited to superheater tubes and may be applied to any tube subjected to heat. Their use, further, is not limited to horizontal tubes since they may be applied also to diagonal and vertical tubes. In the case of vertical tubes the supports may engage the edges of the sleeves 28.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a steam generator or the like having upper and lower steam and water drums interconnected by transversely spaced generating tubes which have a bank of superheater tubes positioned therebetween and generally parallel with said drums, the improvement which comprises sleeves fixed about each of said superheater tubes, bracket members secured between said transversely spaced generating tubes for receiving the sleeves of the lowermost row of superheater tubes and for supporting said bank of superheater tubes, said sleeves on the superheater tubes being positioned in general vertical alignment with the bracket members and the surfaces of the sleeves being in contact at spaced areas whereby the superheater tubes are maintained generally aligned in superposed rows and said sleeves permit the independent removal of said tubes.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 further characterized by the sleeves having tapered end portions to facilitate the independent and ready removal of 'a superheater tube from the bank.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 further characterized by said bracket members being provided with depressed upper surface portions to align the rows of superheater tubes of the bank in staggered relation.

(References on following page) ii ixencsficl d 51 311? filq Qflhii 11 13 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1339,5 47 Lovelin May 18,1915 246,794 1,596,412 Dowd Aug; 17, 1926 Wyld et a1. ar. 29, 1927 Watts July '21, 1931 Sengstaken Aug. 3, 1937 Kearney Dec. 6, 1938 Mayo et a1. Feb. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 

